Does this RPG wilt or bloom?
Bloomtown: A Different Story is a narrative JRPG mixing turn-based combat, monster taming and social RPG set in a seemingly pleasant 1960s Americana world. Play as Emily and her younger brother Chester sent on their summer holiday to their grandpa’s cozy and quiet town. May be too quiet… Children starting to disappear, nightmares getting more real… Something’s not right, especially for a 12-year-old girl with an adventurous mind! It is up to you to solve this mystery and free Bloomtown and its inhabitants from a glooming fate!
Bloomtown feels like a blend of different ideas and personalities taken from other games. It’s if you put Stardew Valley in a Persona game. That’s not a bad thing in any stretch of the imagination, if anything I’m amazed it hasn’t been done as much before. I can’t recall any game trying to capture both games in one before, maybe I’m wrong here but I was impressed overall with the concept.
The shift from doing daily activities to suddenly monster taming and tackling dungeons is a big one, but one that works incredibly well. My only criticism of the game is that it’s on the short side compared to other JRPGs out there, it feels more like a bitesize version. But then again, some JRPGs do tend to outstay their welcome, so it’s a double-edged sword in that respect. I know I would have liked it to be longer, but maybe that might have ruined the experience in the final product.
The pixel art style is a welcome one and the soundtrack is superb. Load times are next to none and I didn’t encounter any performance issues or glitches through my playthrough. There were no differences in performance between the PS5 and PS4 versions, but there are two trophy lists for those who want to earn a double Platinum. All in all, I was impressed with the overall performance of the game.
The Verdict
While not the longest or most original JRPG, Bloomtown: A Different Story feels like a nice blend of different games that works well. It looks great, the soundtrack is brilliant and you won’t stop playing until the end. I know I didn’t.